Page 19 of Edge of Desire

“Yeah,” Avery agreed. “I don’t normally even eat at a table. I just eat in front of the TV. That’s my usual evening.”

Everyone laughed. “I know what you mean. I do the same a lot myself. That is when I have time to eat dinner,” I automatically responded.

“So, Just Miles, what exactly do you do?”

Fuck! I’d opened myself up to that one. “I’m a private investigator.”

“Really? How interesting!”

“Not really. It’s very boring. Sitting and watching guys, trying to catch them cheating on their wives, or vice versa. Not very exciting.”

“Hmm. I always had this idea that there was a lot more to it than that.”

Finally, Caroline piped in. “Miles always says he wants to do something more exciting, like become a banker.”

“A banker? That’s not very exciting. Why don’t you go into finance, like me? Now there’s some excitement for ya, just kidding,” Avery added with a smile. I wish she hadn’t done that because all I could do was stare.

Both women were waiting on a response from me, but my eyes got tangled up with Avery’s and the words got stuck somewhere between my brain and my junk. What I wanted to say wasn’t fit for present company, not unless I wanted my sister’s shoe up my ass.

Caroline clapped her hands and said, “Well then, I guess we should eat.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” I murmured, still wrapped up in Avery’s not blue/not green eyes. Then the corners of her delectable mouth turned up, ever so slightly, and I knew I was in for it. When she took one side of her lower lip and put it between her teeth, I jumped up and said something, I’m not sure what, and headed for the nearest bathroom.

My face was covered in beads of perspiration and my damn pants were so tight, my circulation was getting cut off. I was a mess and needed to pull it together. What the hell was going on with me? I was thirty-five years old, not a young kid for fuck’s sake. After I splashed some cold water on my face, I didn’t really feel better, but I told myself I did. I needed to get my ass back out there or they would think something was wrong.

They were waiting to take their seats when I returned.

“Sorry. Just needed to wash my hands.”

They both gave me odd looks but there wasn’t much I could do about it. We all sat down and started eating. I had to hand it to Caroline. She sure made some excellent lasagna. As I watched Avery out of the corner of my eye, I could tell she enjoyed it too.

“Caroline, this is perfect. I think this is your best ever.”

“Thanks, Miles.”

Avery had just taken another bite and she nodded. “Mmm. It’s wonderful.”

I loved to watch that fork as it entered her mouth. For the first time in my life, I wanted to be a fork. Tonight, I would dream of becoming a fork. Avery’s fork. Oh, to be Avery’s personal fork and to feel her lips around me every day.

Preston! Get your fucking mind off sex and on this conversation, dammit!

“Miles? Are you listening?”

“W-what did you say?”

Caroline huffed, “I asked you if you wanted to go with me to show Avery some of the sights tomorrow?”

“Oh, sorry. I have some things I need to take care of.”

Did I just see disappointment cloud her eyes? Oh, Avery. I’d love to go, but you can’t be tainted by someone like me.

“Okay, but you’re gonna miss out,” Caroline teased.

“Don’t I know.”

At that moment, Avery went to take a bite of her lasagna, and her hand trembled slightly. Like most of these things do, it happened in slow motion. The chunk of lasagna on her fork tumbled off and hit her white sweater right between her breasts, leaving a big red splat. But that wasn’t the worst of it. No, the beastly chunk then bounced off and continued to make its way to that very spot I’d been dreaming of. That bastard piece of lasagna got to be the lucky one. It landed right where I would’ve given my left nut to be. It was proudly perched right between her legs, that little fucker. I sat there and silently cursed it. I wanted to beat the piss out of it for even daring to go there, for having the nerve to touch that special place.

Because of my jealousy over that lucky chunk, I’d missed Avery’s acute mortification of having her white outfit completely ruined. She gasped. Then sighed. All I could think of was how I’d wished it was me that had produced those little sounds she emitted and not the offensive lasagna.

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